Several Miami-Dade county officials on Monday denounced Ozzie Guillen's recent comments about Fidel Castro and want the Miami Marlins manager removed from his job.

The Chairman of the Miami-Dade Board of Commissioners has called on Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria to urge Guillen to resign.

In an open letter sent to the media on Monday, Joe A. Martinez said "there is no alternative that would be satisfactory" after Guillen's "I love Fidel Castro" quote in an upcoming edition of Time Magazine.

Francis Suarez, chairman of the City of Miami Commission, said: "Mr. Guillen's admiration for a dictator who has destroyed the lives of so many and who has violated the basic human rights of millions is shameful."

Suarez also targeted Guillen for his recent comments about getting drunk. The manager said he routinely gets drunk after games and has done so for many years.

"Mr. Guillen's cavalier attitude about the serious issue of alcohol abuse is reckless and not suitable for a public figure in a position of leadership in our community," Suarez said.

"I now challenge them to take decisive steps to bring this community back together," his statement read.

Martinez wrote he was "extremely disappointed and offended" by the remarks. The letter also said anyone who respects "an individual that represents the oppression and domination of a country and its people should cause us grave concern.

In a piece that will appear in the upcoming issue of Time Magazine, Guillen, who is Venezuelan, is quoted as saying: "I love Fidel Castro." He later amended his comment, saying: "I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still there."

The Marlins issued a statement on the matter last week and did not comment on the matter on Monday. "We are aware of the article," the team's statement said. "There is nothing to respect about Fidel Castro. He is a brutal dictator who has caused unthinkable pain for more than 50 years. We live in a community filled with victims of this dictatorship and the people in Cuba continue to suffer today."